BlackBerry to Launch Square Smartphone

BlackBerry has unveiled its BlackBerry Passport. The Passport is a square-shaped smartphone. The phone will feature a 4.5-inch square screen. The company says its square design is better than its rectangular competitors.

BlackBerry says in a post that "it's hip to be square." The company calls the Passport the "IMAX of productivity" and says its device has the optimal screen size for reading. BlackBerry says research has proven that the optimal number of characters on a line for a book is 66 characters. The Passport will show 60 characters per line, compared to 40 characters in rectangular smartphones.

BlackBerry says another idea benefit with its square design is that users won't have to worry about whether the phone is in landscape or portrait mode. The screen is square so it is the same no matter how the phone is turned. The phone will go on sale this September. Pricing information and specs have not yet been revealed.